The Chipping Sparrow
by L.J.Eden
Summary: Seventeen-year-old Clarke Griffin steps forward to take her sisters place in the Hunger Games. Without really meaning to she becomes a contender. With not only the worry of surviving the games weighing heavily upon her, and the unrequited love her fellow District 12 tribute declares during the games. She also has to contend with the confusing feelings she has for another tribute.


Chipping Sparrow

Groggily I begin to wake, the hope of a lie in impossible due to the blinding rays of sunlight now shining through my window and into my eyes. There is another reason why sleep eludes me this very morning, the thought of which makes my stomach knot with worry instantly.

With a sigh of both distaste and aggravation I throw my legs over the side of my bed and get to my feet. I stand there for a second and let the warm light caress my face before readying myself for the day. I pull my worn black trousers on along with my hunting boots, white shirt which is now slightly discoloured from years of use and my father's old leather jacket. I tip toe out of the bedroom, careful to not wake my younger sister Charlotte, who still slumbers in her bed peacefully.

Sneaking into the main room of our house I find my mother curled up on the sofa, a multi-coloured blanket kicked into a heap at her feet showing the restless night she'd had. This is how I always find her every morning. Ever since my father died in the mines five years ago she has been non-existent, my twelve-year-old sister doesn't remember her as anything but this. She does not remember how carefree and lively she used to be or how she used to sing us to sleep every night.

I walk towards her and kneel down on the cold wooden floor, reaching forwards I tuck a few stray auburn coloured hairs out of her eyes and behind her ear before planting a kiss on her forehead "Jake" she mumbles in her sleep, her hand grasping thin air as she tries to lay claim on my father's hand. My heart breaks for her as she begins to whimper in her sleep, no doubt from the realisation that my father is no longer here. Not being able to take it anymore I grasp the end of the wool blanket and bring it up to her shoulders, tucking her in.

With that done I rise to my feet and turn to walk towards the table that is up against the small kitchen wall, I take my forage bag which is hanging from one of the chairs along with the remaining loaf of bread from last night's dinner. I stuff the loaf into my bag before going outside because I don't want anyone to see it, especially those that are starving.

I begin to make my way out of town; our house is in the middle of what we call the Seam, which is the poorest part of our district. The Seam is right next to the forest which if travelled along far enough you would reach District 13, but it is now nothing more than rubble after the Capitol destroyed it during the dark days.

The streets are filled with men and women making their way towards the mines. District 12 is known for coal and at the age of eighteen; directly after your final Reaping, we are made to go down the mines to work. Myself and every other child here do not want that birthday to come. Some of us do not wish to delay the day because of the hard graft that ensues for the rest of our lives, but because we have lost a loved one in those mines, and being down there will be a bitter reminder of their untimely fate.

Before I know it I have made it to the high chain linked fence that surrounds our district, the top of which is laced with barbed wire. It's supposed to be for our protection, keeping the wild animals out after there was apparently an influx of attacks years back. I however believe that the fence is here to keep us in, they don't want any of us running away now do they, not that anyone even dares cross over anyhow.

Even if my theory is correct the fence is useless anyway because it is hardly ever electrified which makes the whole thing a waste of time. Here in District 12 we never really have electricity; sometimes we may get the odd few hours through the night and of course over the duration of the Hunger Games, but never more than that.

I check anyway just in case they did decide that just for the fun of it they would turn them on this morning. I lean in as close as I can without the threat of shocking myself, listening for the humming sound that signals they are on. Right now they are silent, so I flatten down onto my stomach and crawl through the gap that has never been repaired, all the while being concealed by a small clump of bushes.

Once I'm in the woods I follow the familiar trail that is imbedded in my mind, it leads me to my bow and sheath of arrows which I always hide in a hollow tree. I glance around the woods, checking that the coast is clear before taking them out. You see owning a weapon such as this is a crime punishable by death so I always have to be on guard.

Not only do I have to be mindful of the Peacekeepers that guard and patrol our district, I also have to be aware of the danger that looms within these woods. This is where I have to give the fence credit, because it has managed to keep most of the wild animals out. If you know how however, these wild animals can be caught and either sold to other traders or kept to feed your family.

Even though what I am doing is a crime it is common knowledge that if people had the correct weapons they would be doing exactly the same. Weapons like mine however are both expensive and illegal; getting your hands on a bow like this is like finding gold dust. Mine was made by my father who had a knack for this kind of thing, he also taught me how to hunt and how to live off of the woods "Everything has a purpose out here" he always used to say to me.

I begin to stride through the woods now that I have collected my things, I am eager to see the one person who makes my day that little bit better. My pace if possible increases even more as I near the hill that holds our place, which overlooks the vast forest that goes on as far as the eye can see. A huge boulder rock hides it from view and only when I move around do I see him sitting there overlooking the scenery. His black hair is in its usual unruly state, his hunting clothes and boots similar to mine "Hey Bellamy" I greet as I walk over and sit next to him.

"Hi Clarke, look what Octavia gave us for Reaping day" he says with a bright smile on his face as he holds a portion of goats cheese wrapped in basil leaves.

"Ah thank you Octavia" I sing out as I open the flap of my foraging bag in search of the loaf of bread "and I have just the thing to go with it" I say as I pull the loaf out, even though it's from yesterday it's the best quality you can get in the Seam. Bellamy's eyes light up when he sees it and he eagerly takes it from my hands. He brings it up and hovers it just under his nose, inhaling deeply before he turns back to me.

"Smells beautiful, how much did it cost you" he asks as he takes out his pocketknife and I watch as he cleans it on his shirt before slicing the bread.

"Two squirrels. We ate most of it last night but it should still be just as good" he nods along with my statement as he begins to carefully spread the cheese across both the slices, I laugh when I see his tongue poking out as he concentrates.

"Pull that tongue in Blake" I chide lightly, it's a running joke between the two of us because he always does it when we are hunting and I keep telling him that one day something will jump out and take a bite at it.

"Whatever" he grunts, sticking his tongue out even more in defiance. I laugh at his actions before turning my head to watch the sun as it starts to rise higher "here" he says a few minutes later, handing me my slice of bread and goats cheese with the basil placed carefully on top.

We eat in silence, enjoying the soft bread and the cheese that melts as soon as it touches your tongue. The day looks promising as the sun fully rises, blue skies and a soft breeze that takes away any chance of humidity. It would be perfect if it wasn't for the Reaping at twelve "you remember Raven?" he asks me after a while. I take a minute to answer even though I remember her quite easily; she is the girl that has had a crush on Bellamy for a long time now.

"Reyes?" I ask feigning interest by licking a drop of cheese from my thumb.

"Yeah that's the one, anyway you know what she suggested to me the other day" I shake my head in answer "she asked if we could run away, live out in the woods. Do you think it's possible," he asks and I do not miss the hint of hope lacing the question.

"Maybe, I don't know" I answer and I can tell that he is a little irked at my mediocre try, he is always telling me that I have a way with words or lack thereof. I have just never been that good at explaining myself, I can get the words straight in my head but what comes out of my mouth is a jumbled mess "would you, if you could I mean" I ask, one to shift the conversation off of me and my poor social skills and two, because I really want to know if he would run away with her.

"Honestly I don't think I could leave Octavia or my mother, besides we would surely get caught out there" we fall back into silence after that, both of us thinking of the consequences of being found if we were to run away. The idea is a pleasant one, living off the wildlife and not having to conform to the Capitols rules or the Hunger Games. But that is all it will ever be, a simple idea that can never be fabricated into reality, so why even bother thinking about it in the first place.

"What do you want to do," I ask after awhile, we have a little time to kill before we have to go home and participate in the mandatory Reaping for the 74th Hunger Games. I don't want to think about it until absolutely necessary so I look to the boy beside me, hoping that he will come up with a plentiful distraction.

"We could do a bit of hunting, maybe go down to the lake and fish," he says as he begins to pack away his things.

"Sure, maybe we will catch something nice for tonight"

"Yeah" he mumbles quietly almost like he is going back into the introverted boy I found out here in the woods three years ago. I know exactly why as well, the Games and the chance that one of us will no longer be here after today is frightening. I don't say anything deciding that I would rather spend what could be my last day with him doing something that we both enjoy, hunting. It's the thrill more than anything for me, time slows and that millisecond whilst my arrow flies effortlessly through the air is flawless.

We catch lucky, by the time we decide to finish up we have caught a dozen fish along with two squirrels that I had spotted whilst helping Bellamy with his fishing net; abandoning him for a few moments whilst I went to shoot them. We also managed to find a few peaches, I found the lone tree years back with my father and I have been harvesting it whenever they are in season ever since.

Walking back into the village I shift my bag that is heavier now due to our foraging. We stop off at the hob, which is the heart of the black market within District 12. We manage to trade most of our fish for the best bread they offer and then the remaining for a few slabs of grease.

Next on our list is Greasy Sae, an elderly woman who looks fragile and one that you can easily rip off, but trust me she drives a hard bargain. We trade the two squirrels and a couple of slabs of grease before moving on to the Mayors house that sits on top of a hill overlooking the Seam. It is by far one of the nicest houses we have here but in no way does it shroud the victors houses which sit proudly in their own little village.

I knock on the back door with Bellamy hanging back behind me; he despises the people who have enough wealth to survive without scrimping like we do. I can see where he is coming from but I myself have become friends with his daughter who it just so happens opens the door "Hey Clarke" she greets in the overly cheerful soprano, some people find it grating after a while but I kind of find it charming in an odd sort of way.

She is wearing a very pretty white summer dress for the Reaping, and her golden hair which reaches just below her shoulders is accompanied by a red ribbon "Hi Harper, we were wondering if your Father would like to purchase more peaches"

"I'm sure he does, just hold on a second and I will get the money" she says as she turns on the spot and disappears back into the house. I look over my shoulder when I hear Bellamy grunt something under his breath.

"You say something," I ask innocently, already knowing that it concerns Harper and her family.

"Just saying how nice it must be for some people to buy things on a whim," he hisses, not stopping when we hear Harper's footsteps reach the doorway halfway through. I give Bellamy my best stink eye before turning back to the girl with an apologetic smile. She looks upset by his words but she thrusts the money into my hands before I am able to ask if she is alright.

"Good luck Clarke" is all she says before taking the peaches and closing the door.

"You too" I whisper to the closed door in front of me before turning to an already retreating Bellamy. I cannot help but agree with how he feels, its ok for people like Harper whose name will only be entered six times. The entries work out better for the rich and worse for the poor, you see at the age of twelve you become eligible to be reaped so your name is added once, at the age of thirteen twice and so on. But here is the twist that divides us, if like me you have a family to provide for you can sign up for tesserae which will provide a mediocre supply of grains to last you a year, you can also do it for each member of your family. So now at the age of seventeen I will be entered twenty-five times; which is still less than Bellamy who is a year older, he will be entered twenty eight times. Harper is not safe from the reaping however; it has been known before that people with fewer entries still get picked. Like the boy from the Seam that had just turned twelve and had three entries; two for tesserae and one for his age, he was picked last year and sadly he never made it back, leaving his mother the only one left in the family.

We come to a stop outside of his house first and split our spoils, we both have a loaf of bread, two fish some left over peaches plus the money from Harper and one slab of grease each "See you in the square later" I say.

"See you there"

* * *

 **A/N: I love The Hunger Games and also the Lexa/Clarke pairing, so I thought why not try and put those two together. I'd love to know what you all think about this idea?**

 **Thanks for reading.**


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